A 4‑week online cohort learning journey to help you gain the inner resources to navigate conflict, restore connection, and lead peace from the inside out.
We will meet in four two-hour online sessions. 2026 dates are: October 29, November 12 & 19, and December 3.
All sessions will be on Thursdays, from 7 to 9 pm, live via Zoom.
This course will give participants a holistic introduction to Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, also called Compassionate Communication.
Register by October 15 and receive a $50 early bird discount. Type LESS50 in the discount code.
The four sessions:
Week 1: Empathic Presence
Week 2: Awareness of and Attuning to Needs
Week 3: Seeing without Condemning
Week 4: Embodying: Asking for What We Need
Pathways to Peace is led by Julene Tegerstrand, PhD and Steve Tumolo, PhD, partners in life and in the work of making peace and supporting peacemakers. Julene brings years of experience teaching Christian spirituality, intercultural studies, and peacebuilding, weaving together Nonviolent Communication, spiritual formation, and practical dialogue skills. Julene is writing about Contemplative Peace Leadership at Humans Is A Verb. Steve draws on his background as a Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication and as a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner to help people navigate conflict, deepen connection, and find healing. Together, they create a welcoming, engaging space where participants can explore differences, practice empathy, and grow in the skills that make relationships thrive.
Four Live, Interactive Sessions – Blending teaching, reflection, and skill-building so you can apply what you learn immediately.
Practical Communication Skills – Learn to observe without judgment, navigate emotions with grace, name needs clearly, make requests without demands, and build habits that support connection with others and self.
Downloadable Resources – Weekly handouts, reflection prompts, and tools for integrating skills into daily life.
Supportive Community – A cohort of like-minded leaders committed to peacemaking, with opportunities for practice and encouragement.
This 4-week journey is an invitation to invest in your ability to listen deeply, speak with grace, and lead with compassion—whether at the dinner table or in the boardroom.
Registration: $225 ... Includes:
Four live, interactive sessions + access to recordings
Downloadable handouts, practice guides, and exercises
A supportive community of fellow peacemakers
Our Promise to You
If, after attending the first two sessions, you don’t feel this experience is helping you grow in connection and peace, email us and we’ll refund your investment—no questions asked.
Register by October 15 for only $175 (using a $50 early bird discount).
Welcome to Pathways to Peace.
Before you begin Week 1, please complete this Pre-Lesson. It will help you:
Help Julene and Steve get to know you.
Clarify your own goals and hopes for the course.
Practice one of the daily-ish habits that we’ll use throughout the series.
Step into this space with intention, trust, and openness.
Being empathically present to others and to oneself is empathic presence, which we see as the foundation for Compassionate Communication.
Our feelings are messengers, pointing to the needs and longings within us. In Nonviolent Communication, some needs are seen as universal; in Ignatian spirituality, they are holy desires, invitations from God toward love and life. In other contexts, they might be considered values, or underlying motivating forces.
In this session, we will practice making clear requests.